It is axiomatic that organizations create many kinds of printed documents, e.g, textual matter, time records, income statement and balance sheet data, manufacturing cost records and the like, as a normal and necessary part of their activity. Usually, the information contained on such documents is arranged in multiple rows and, frequently, in columns as well. It is not uncommon to require that such information be transferred to a computer system for use in another way.
A typical way to effect such transfer is for a human operator to manually "keypunch" the data from the printed page into the computer system. This task is visually taxing at least because such operator must look alternately (and rapidly) at the printed page and the computer screen to continually verify the accuracy of that which has been entered in such system.
Earlier aids for making this task at least a little easier include an upstanding panel (often made of sheet metal) with a metal clip-like device having a shape not unlike a bobby pin. Such device both holds a sheet of paper on the panel and acts as a visual guide. In regard to the latter, the device has a straight edge placed directly beneath the line of data to be entered. Such device is devoid of any kind of indicia for creating columns.
This arrangement for entering data is attended by some problems. One is that the clip-like device is notorious for losing its "springiness" and slipping from the location at which it is last placed. Errors in data entry are more likely to occur since the user is accustomed to entering that line of data directly above the device upper edge. If the device slips, the user sometimes guesses at the line of data then under consideration--and is wrong. At least, a conscientious data entry person must stop entry and re-position the device.
Yet another problem with the aforementioned arrangement involves the fact that in certain configurations, the device is opaque. It is not possible to visually "pick up" the next line of data to be entered so that when the preceding line of data has been entered, the device can be accurately and quickly indexed to the next line. And, of course, such upstanding panels and clip-like devices are wholly unsuited for entering data from a thick stack of bound-together papers.
However, other types of guides are available. Fellowes Company has available a transparent line guide. Such guide is offered for use with its Workstation copyholders.
Another arrangement (and until the advent of the invention, about the only possible arrangement) for entering text data from such a thick stack is to simply use a common 12 inch ruler and place it beneath the line of data to be entered. This, too, has proven problematic.
Since such a rule has quite a bit of "stickout" beyond the edges of a standard 8.5 inch wide sheet of paper, it is easy to inadvertently strike a protruding ruler end and disturb the ruler position. In that event, the user must stop work and re-position the ruler before continuing.
Still another problem with known prior art arrangements relates to the fact that data is commonly entered into a computer system using a typewriter-like keyboard. Such a keyboard is immensely more complex than that of a typewriter at least in that the computer keyboard has certain keys and combinations of keys which can be depressed to change the computer "function."
For example, a common computer keyboard has twelve "F keys" (keys labeled e.g., "F1," "F2" and so forth) which, alone or with other keys, can be depressed to obtain a particular function. As an example, to center a short line of text, the "Shift" and "F6" keys are depressed simultaneously. Commonly, about 40 separate functions are available and since most computer users have not entirely memorized such functions, their use is aided by a function template placed at the top of the keyboard for easy visual reference.
Insofar as is known, earlier workers in the field of office equipment have failed to recognize that data entry from the printed page to a computer system involves not two but three "areas" which must be looked at by the data entry person. Such areas include the sheet on which the data is printed, the computer screen and, frequently, the keyboard function template. Such eye movement is conducive to entry error.
A data entry guide which addresses and resolves some of the problems and shortcomings of prior art devices would be an important advance in the art. As used in this specification, the term "data" is broadly interpreted to include both data and word text. While the inventive guide is particularly useful when entering what is commonly referred to as data, it is very helpful when entering word text as well.